# So what shortages are you personally seeing? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [July 24, 2020, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268 "2020-07-24T23:28:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/221 "2020-09-23T13:37:39Z")
> [@pullin](#): > > As to why no home delivery: The delivery people constantly mark eggs and milk as “unavailable”, which is bullshit (we checked). Apparently they don’t want the responsibility of getting perishables like that delivered quickly in the Texas heat. Don’t they have a refrigerated delivery truck? Or at least they could put perishables in a cooler in the truck? ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/222 "2020-09-23T14:17:01Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Geez. Of course I knew that. I worked minimum wage jobs when I was starting out including fast food and manual labor. I have a wide variety of friends of all ages in my social circle which includes a lot of struggling artists and musicians and skilled laborers. I have helped many of them out over the years by they way. I remember what it was like and I always tip very well. Do you think that we dropped out of the sky fully formed as wealthy professionals? ^ This. I’m not disparaging Bootb, and I have been very lucky in my career choice. I do very well and don’t have a degree. I’m very aware at how tough it can be and have worked many different types of manual labor jobs. Where I live is very expensive, but it’s where my job is and I love it. I visited a friend in a town 100 miles away and was stunned that a medium pizza and two beers was only $18. We ended up tipping $22 ($22 over the $18 price, so 40 bucks total). I and my friend understand how hard restaurant workers have it. And now, with COVID doubly so. Vote. Everybody Vote. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/223 "2020-09-23T14:26:33Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Vote. Everybody Vote. **VOTE** As I keep telling my nephews and friends, this may be the most important thing you’ve ever done. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/224 "2020-09-23T14:28:27Z")
> [@Bootb](#): > > So all you people with advanced degrees, remember this–every time you go to the grocery store; every time you get fast food or go to a cheap restaurant; pretty much every time you interact with people outside of your immediate work or social circle, remember this–nearly everybody you interact with makes WAY less than you do. You seem hung-up on the “advanced degrees” bit, but many people without them make over seventeen bucks an hour. I googled and the average wage for a production worker at Ford Motor Co is over that. Many of those people may have no college whatsoever. And a plumber, electrician or other tradesperson makes more than that. (Although this whole line of inquiry is probably a sidetrack to the thread topic.) ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/225 "2020-09-23T14:39:13Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > What extra utility would you get out of this information? One of the local grocery stores has a great on-line option that lets me see what they have in stock and where it is on the shelves. It’s not perfectly up-to-date, and sometimes it’s said they have something and when i go there there’s just a hole where the product should be. But it’s pretty good. So good that I’ve mostly been going to that grocery store since i learned how to use that website, even though it’s farther away than the grocery stores i used to mostly buy from. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/226 "2020-09-23T14:46:01Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > One of the local grocery stores has a great on-line option that lets me see what they have in stock and where it is on the shelves. It’s not perfectly up-to-date, and sometimes it’s said they have something and when i go there there’s just a hole where the product should be. But it’s pretty good. I’m not arguing that it might not be helpful to know exactly what’s in stock at all times. I’m saying it’s a distinct service that costs money, and the existence of a convenient delivery service does not automatically entitle someone to some other service that they would also find convenient. It doesn’t mean any of the existing services are flawed or malfunctioning. The phrase “looking the gift horse in the mouth” comes to mind. ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/227 "2020-09-23T19:02:52Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > The item was available in-store, and not for delivery I think this is our misunderstanding (you and I). It was shown as available for delivery and the app allowed selection of it. That’s my beef with them. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/228 "2020-09-23T21:52:28Z")
> [@Bootb](#): > > There must be a lot of rich people on this site. I don’t think I know anybody in real life who makes as much as $17/hour. My stepdaughter just took a “placeholder” job, you know- just something to do for now packing boxes at Amazon that pays $18.50 walking in the door, even if it’s your first job ever. Part time, but it’s $18.50 no experience necessary. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2020, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/229 "2020-09-24T01:55:07Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Don’t they have a refrigerated delivery truck? Or at least they could put perishables in a cooler in the truck? I get frozen/refrigerated goods from Walmart or Instacart regularly, in Sacramento, CA. It’s my understanding that they keep such goods in appropriately controlled temperatures in the store until the delivery driver loads into their vehicle to bring it. I’ve never had issues with stuff arriving melted/warm. ---
**Author:** ![PoppaSan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/poppasan/32/189_2.png) [@PoppaSan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoppaSan)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2020, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/230 "2020-10-01T03:34:07Z")
> [@Bootb](#): > > There must be a lot of rich people on this site. I don’t think I know anybody in real life who makes as much as $17/hour. Are you near a Hobby Lobby? > **[Hobby Lobby raising full-time minimum wage to $17 an hour](https://nypost.com/2020/09/15/hobby-lobby-raising-full-time-minimum-wage-to-17-an-hour/)** > > Hobby Lobby is raising the minimum wage for its full-time workers to $17 an hour ahead of the holiday season. ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/231 "2020-10-02T12:02:34Z")
I was finally able to score disinfectant wipes at Target yesterday. Target’s house brand, not Clorox, but who cares? I use them a lot. Everything that comes into my apartment gets wiped. I’d been improvising with homemade wipes (microfiber cloth dipped in a bleach solution) and alcohol in a spray bottle, but this is easier. Things do seem to be loosening up, but I fear a second wave will cause shortages again. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/232 "2020-10-02T14:22:05Z")
> [@Zelski](#): > > I decided to post here but since I can’t search the whole thread for key terms (thanks to Discourse) … That’s easy to do. Put the thread on your screen. Click the magnifying glass icon at upper right then check the box labeled “Search this topic”. Then enter your search terms, _don’t_ press [Enter] and wait a couple seconds. The roster of posts with those terms will appear. You can click any entry to scroll the thread to that post so you can read the whole post. Then click the magnifying glass again and the same search query and roster of posts immediately appears again so you can click another thread from the roster. That way you can hopscotch through the thread looking at every post mentioning “peppers” or “bleach” or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![Zelski](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c67d28/32.png) [@Zelski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zelski)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/233 "2020-10-02T22:12:32Z")
Great! Thanks so much! I didn’t know there was such an option like that. I actually avoid threads with too many posts because 1) I think one should read through a thread first and 2) not having time for that (you guys post way too much for me to keep up) one should at least find the posts pertaining to one’s imminent post. Your search option will open up more threads for me, if I am interested in a specific sub-topic in the thread. Still, there are many threads with too many posts for me to even start with… ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/234 "2020-10-02T22:21:36Z")
Today: Full-fat evaporated milk and cornmeal. ---
**Author:** ![Turble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Turble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turble)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2020, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/235 "2020-10-03T13:43:02Z")
Eggo frozen waffles. The store has a huge variety of blueberry, strawberry, mini, chocolate chip, and I dunno what else, but just a big blank space where the regular ones should be. Hall’s cough drops, the regular flavor. My father is in a nursing home and asked me to bring him some. Went to four pharmacies and three grocery stores and all the stores had a whole bunch of the ‘exotic’ flavors but a blank space where the normal original flavor should be. ---
**Author:** ![dummygladhands71](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c0e974/32.png) [@dummygladhands71](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dummygladhands71)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2020, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/236 "2020-10-03T19:12:29Z")
Windex wipes. Pre-soaked wipes of Windex, I like for cleaning the bathroom mirrors. Can’t find them and on [WalMart.com](http://WalMart.com), they’re like $28 for a regular size package that I used to be able to buy for around $6. And still no chocolate Twizzlers. ---
**Author:** ![TheCuse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thecuse/32/2854_2.png) [@TheCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheCuse)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2020, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/237 "2020-10-03T19:38:21Z")
There were some shortages for small chest freezers (i.e., 3.5–5 cubic), and it was taking several months for the orders to come in. The long wait seems to be over now, as I ordered a 3.5 cubic last week and it’s supposed to arrive at the Home Depot store tomorrow for pickup. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2020, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/238 "2020-10-03T20:37:09Z")
I understood the lack of hand sanitizer and isopropyl alcohol in stores back in March, April, and May. By mid-June, both hand sanitizer and isopropyl alcohol started coming back in small, but typically available, lots in all my local stores. Since then, hand sanitizer availability has become greater and greater to the point where the local stores all seem to have a glut of the stuff. Conversely, isopropyl alcohol was easily available for about six weeks, and then disappeared for good by mid-August. What, specifically, is keeping isopropyl alcohol from getting and keeping a firm foothold in the retail market the way hand sanitizer did? People are STILL stockpiling isopropyl alcohol for their homes? Institutional use has increased so supply chains are taxed that way? Some other reason? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2020, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/239 "2020-10-03T21:04:14Z")
> [@TheCuse](#): > > There were some shortages for small chest freezers (i.e., 3.5–5 cubic), and it was taking several months for the orders to come in. > > The long wait seems to be over now, as I ordered a 3.5 cubic last week and it’s supposed to arrive at the Home Depot store tomorrow for pickup. There’s still a nationwide shortage of freezers. I ordered one a month ago. The ONLY thing they had in stock was a small chest freezer. I pre-paid for an upright freezer that they said would probably be available at the end of the month. (Full refund available until it’s delivered. They called Thursday to tell me it has arrived, and it’s scheduled to be delivered Tuesday.) > [@bordelond](#): > > Conversely, isopropyl alcohol was easily available for about six weeks, and then disappeared for good by mid-August. Huh, I had no idea. I guess it’s good that I grabbed two large bottles in late August, then. That’s my go-to sanitizer for most everything, so I’m happy to have a fresh supply. ---
**Author:** ![TheCuse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thecuse/32/2854_2.png) [@TheCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheCuse)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2020, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268/240 "2020-10-03T21:36:30Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > There’s still a nationwide shortage of freezers. I ordered one a month ago. The ONLY thing they had in stock was a small chest freezer. I pre-paid for an upright freezer that they said would probably be available at the end of the month. (Full refund available until it’s delivered. They called Thursday to tell me it has arrived, and it’s scheduled to be delivered Tuesday.) I’m glad you’re getting it Tuesday. I’m not sure about full-size ones where I am, as I just need a small one. Back in August I was going to order a small one and the delivery date was December. I said screw that. Then last week I checked at a different store and they said I could have in a week. It’s only a small 3.5, but I don’t need a big one as it’s just me. Just big enough to hold some frozen dinners and ice cream and stuff. But not too much ice cream–I don’t want to gain any weight! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-shortages-are-you-personally-seeing/916268.md?page=13)